Autumn
by Rikotsu-sama
Summary: A nasty incident long ago created mortal enemies out of the best of friends. When Cloud and Leon end up in the same Biology class it is bad enough. Now, when they get forced to share a cabin on a 3 week college trip, things get even hairier. [CxL] [AU]
1. Prologue

Yays! I've decided to start a CloudLeon fic! YAY!

Dedicated to: Sorceress Fantasia and Hanae da Firefly! They are my CLC goddesses!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8, or any of their characters. All that's mine is the idea and writing.

**WARNING(S):** YAOI (boy x boy love)!!!! Don't like it? Don't read it! Fluff and insanity also lay within!

**Autumn **

_By: Rikotsu-sama_

**o0 Prologue 0o**

_Crunch. Crunch._ The weathering leaves dance across the darkening sky and into the shadows of the incandescent mountains. The Air is painted with golden light, the clouds wisp across the sky, their pigment of the softest lavenders.

He had never liked him. Neither of them liked the other. Both of them couldn't quite remember when it started: their hatred for each other. It had just always been.

As it turns out, it was over sixteen years ago; June the fourth. Their last day of Kindergarden.

_o0 Flashback 0o_

_Her hair danced in the wind, whipping her face lightly as she swung on the yellow swing. Her lightly tanned arms and legs pumped up and down, urging the swing to go higher. Suddenly, as she swung backwards she received a push from a little boy in blue._

"_Thank you!" She called out cheerfully, smiling, even though she knew the little boy behind her could not see her face._

"_You're welcome!" He smiled as well, brushing a soft spike of his blonde hair_

_away from his eyes as he watched her pink dress flare forward as she began to swing backwards again._

"_Hey, Cloud, what do you think you're doing?!" A shout came from the right, on the grassy hill leading down to the elementary school parking lot._

"_I was... uh... pushing Jade on the swing?" The boy in blue mumbled sheepishly, looking at the brunette with fear-stricken eyes._

"_But I always push Jade on the swing!" The brunette boy growled, clenching his tiny fists._

"_Wh-who s-says y-you always get to push her, Squall?" retorted the blonde, with every ounce of courage he could muster._

_By this time, Jade had stopped swinging to turn and watch the fight, her long amber hair dangled in her face and her aquamarine eyes entranced by the sight of two boys fighting over who gets to push her on the swing._

"_I do!" Squall screamed, tackling his opponent into the playground gravel. _

_Kicking and screaming, name-calling and flailing, yelling and clawing, the boys utilized everything around them to their advantage. Soon, the blonde found and picked up a sharp rock. He turned around quickly enough that the sharp edge of the stone cut Squall's face, right from the top of his left eyebrow, across his nose, and down to his right cheek._

_Squall screamed, as crystalline tears ran down his cheeks, stinging in the new cut. A teacher had appeared on the scene a few moments before, and now comforted the crying boy, carrying him off to the nurse's office and demanding that Cloud follow._

_Jade watched as the two boys were escorted or carried away, her eyes emotionless. _

_o0 End Flashback 0o_

Jade moved away that summer, never to be heard from again.

Squall-- erm, _Leon_ hasn't cried since that day, even when his first love (and fiancé), Rinoa had died two years back.

It's 16 years later, and both Cloud and Leon are twenty-one years of age, both going to the same college, and, as fate would have it, in the same Biology class. Now this is no ordinary Biology class: this is _Mr.Lowenthal's_ Biology class.

Barely anything gets done, but things are learned. To each other, the other does not exist when it comes to Cloud and Leon. But, it's unavoidable for them: they're lab partners.

As Mr.Lowenthal trooped into class like a foot soldier for that day's class the girls in the class (mainly Yuffie, Cloud's best friend) giggled. Mr.Lowenthal, or as the class calls him, James (or Mr.L), started off class with an announcement that almost everyone in the class was happy (and some astonished enough to faint) about.

"Class, we're going to go on a three-week camp!" As the class giggled, chattered and talked about this up-coming "camp" Mr.L went on about how there would be classes, they would learn all their material they would miss here at school, but there'd be plenty of off time.

Nothing got done for the rest of the day...


	2. Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

Update on 1.4.08: Sorry, guys!! I know it's been forever and ever and ever and ever, but please re-read this chapter! I edited it quite a bit, so I think it's worth re-reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, FF8, or KH. I claim storyline & writing.

**WARNING(S):** YAOI (boy x boy love)!!!! Don't like it? Don't read it! Fluff and insanity also lay within!

**Autumn**

_By: Rikotsu-sama_

**o0 Chapter 1 - Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right 0o**

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! Come over hear to get your room keys and meet up with your new cabin partners! There will be two people to a three-person cabin since there are only twenty-eight- no. Twenty-two of us since some of our students were unable to attend." Mr.Lowenthal announced through a bull horn.

The class trooped up, all groaning, car sick from the ride there through many bumpy, horrid, back mountain roads.

"Axel! You're with Roxas in cabin one!" Mr.L shouted, handing both Axel and Roxas room keys to cabin number one. Axel grinned seductively, slipped an arm around Roxas' waist and, despite Roxas' violent protests, dragged him to their cabin.

"Kairi, you're with Namine in cabin two!"

"Okie!" Kairi cheered, grabbing her room key, taking Namine's hand and skipping of girlishly. Both Riku and Sora shuddered as they watched the girls run off.

"Aeris! You're with Tifa in cabin four!"

"Wait." Tifa ordered. "What's wrong with cabin three?"

"Some sort of _bug_ problem." Mr.Lowenthal answered indifferently. Aeris took her room key to cabin four swiftly and happily after shuddering. Man, what a bug-a-phobe.

"Okay, now that that's over... Riku! You're with Sora in cabin five!" Riku smiled, took the room keys and then picked up both his and Sora's bags.

"What're you doing, Riku?" Sora asked quietly, "I can carry my own bags."

"But then I would have to make my precious little flower work, and we don't want that, now do we?" Riku answered happily, kissing Sora on the cheek.

The entire rest of the class "oooh"ed and "awww"ed at the couple's cute moment. Sora certainly thought he had discovered five new shades of red as he and Riku trooped off to cabin five.

"Yuffie! You're with Vincent in cabin six!" Mr.Lowenthal once again called through his bullhorn.

"**WHAT?!**" Yuffie yelled, outraged, "Why do **I** have to be with a **guy**!? All the other girls get to be with another girl!!" You could all but _feel_ the steam billowing from her ears.

"There's an odd number of boys and girls, Yuffie. And, since you and Vincent are so close, I thought that would be the best thing to do since one girl had to be with a guy." The nonchalant way Mr.L said this only enraged Yuffie more.

"Just 'cause I'm friends with Vinnie doesn't mean I want to be in the same CABIN as him! I'm a girl too! Not to mention, I'm closer to Cloudster here-" Yuffie wrapped her arm comfortably around her equal-heighted blonde friend's shoulders, "-than I am to Vinnie. Why can't I room with Cloudster?" Yuffie whined.

"Sorry, Yuffie." Mr.Lowenthal apologized, "But if you do feel that strongly about the matter, I suppose you could room with Cloud, should your and his roommates agree to it."

"Alright, who's Cloudie's rommie?" Yuffie all but growled, tapping her foot expectantly.

"Squall Leonhart." Mr.L stated nonchalantly.

"_**WHAT?!**_" Cloud screamed, overcome with rage.

Closing his eyes, struggling to keep is composure, Leon stated as cooly as he could, "I would not be opposed to rooming with Vincent."

Vincent watched calmly, his scarlet eyes watching the sweat drip down Leon's brow, Cloud attempt to stifle his fury by clenching his fists, and the way that their glares at one-another had nearly their entire lifetime's worth of emotions flurried into one clash of blue and gray. Vincent kept his arms crossed as he spoke frankly, "I'd rather room with Miss Kisaragi."

"Alright, then Cloud, you're roomin' with Squally here." Mr.Lowenthal stated, ready to go onto the next subject of conversation. Leon had always hated how Mr.L had love to tease him by calling him by his proper name.

Cloud quickly made a mental note to kill Vincent while he was sleeping before he interjected, "But, Mr.L!"

"Oh right. You two don't get along, do you?" Mr.Lowenthal said, almost to himself. "Oh well, you're not little children anymore. Work it out. You're in cabin seven. Yuffie, you're with Vincent in cabin six." He then gave Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, and Vincent their keys before continuing with the pairs.

Mr.L went on to put Seifer and Zell in cabin eight, Selphie and Yuna in cabin nine, Tidus and Wakka in cabin ten, and Demyx with Zexion in cabin eleven.

"But, James!" Yuffie nearly shouted, before she was literally dragged by her collar towards their cabin by Vincent. She started to struggle, and Cloud absent-mindedly wondered why she calmed down as soon as Vincent started whispering in her ear, but the thought went in one ear and out the other: straight back to Leon.

Cloud stalked ahead of Leon, before turning sharply and stopping, right in front of Leon. "Okay, let's just get one thing straight: I get the top bunk." Seeing as Leon's emotionless exterior had returned he simply nodded and continued past Cloud.

"Dammit, Squall!" Cloud yelled. Still stopped, Cloud watched as bunches of giggling girls, and pairs of guys talking about last night's football game passed by. "Dammit, Squall... Why are you always so emotionless?!" Cloud screamed again, clenching his fists.

Lowering his voice to near inaudibility, Cloud whispered, "Why are you always so cold to me?"

Leon, marching ahead towards cabin seven, wore the same depressed look as Cloud, though no one could see it. Hidden beneath his ice prince mask were all the emotions that Leon kept bottled up like wine or juice.

The pair was in for a very eventful night...


	3. Mid Night

GOMENASAI!! Sorry for not updating in ages... This school year has been busy as hell and whatnot. It's summer now and I have nothin' to do, so as I go and beat more video games, read books, et cetera, I'll have lots more time for writing as well! So, here's the latest (very late) addition to _Autumn_: Chapter 2 - Mid-Night. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, FF8, or KH.

**WARNING(S):** YAOI (boy x boy love)!!!! Don't like it? Don't read it! Fluff, mild language, and insanity also lay within!

**[PAIRING(S):** CloudLeon RikuSora -- Don't like it? DONT READ IT.

**Autumn**

_By: Rikotsu-sama_

**o0 Chapter 2 -- Mid-Night 0o**

"_Dammit, Squall!" Cloud yelled. Still stopped, Cloud watched as bunches of giggling girls, and pairs of guys talking about last night's football game passed by. "Dammit, Squall... Why are you always so emotionless?!" Cloud screamed again, clenching his fists._

_Lowering his voice to near inaudibility, Cloud whispered, "Why are you always so cold to me?"_

_Leon, marching ahead towards cabin seven, wore the same depressed look as Cloud, though no one could see it. Hidden beneath his ice prince mask were all the emotions that Leon kept bottled up like wine or juice._

_The pair was in for a very eventful night..._

_o.0.O.0.o_

Cloud sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time that night. He hadn't slept a wink, and he had been sitting there for the last few hours, having a conversation with himself in his head,_ 'Why do you even care, Cloud, if Squall—oh, he goes by __**Leon **__now doesn't he?—is so cold to you? Why does it matter if he hates your guts?,' _The little voice started to hiss, '_You return the hatred, do you not? It's been there since that last day in kindergarten, hasn't it? You have no__** reason **__to care about that man, Cloud. So just ignore him, he isn't worth your time and effort, Cloud. His ice prince mask is not as unique as you seem to think it is. You'll find more people like him later in life, won't you? Yes, yes you will... Unless of course, you__** do**__ care...' _The voice seemed to smirk at Cloud from the depths of his mind. Cloud shook his head to rid his mind of these treacherous thoughts. He did not care about Squall, let alone the rest of what the little voice in his head had said; not that the voice was little at all... did he?

Similar thoughts roamed through Leon's wiry mind, only on a perpendicular thought train, _'Why don't you tell him, Leon? Tell him why you're so cold to him, why you constantly wear that invisible mask?'_ His little voice prodded, _'You know you like him, you've liked him since the day you found out he was in your Biology class this year. You're lucky as hell to be blessed with sharing a cabin with him for three weeks, why do you not take advantage of that, Leon? You aren't emotionless, as much as you'd like to be; as much as you'd like to merge with your ice prince mask, you can't. Come on, Leon. You know you just want to claim those rosy lips and those fluffy blonde spikes and name them__** yours**__. You want nothing more than to be with him, right? You care for him, don't you?' _Try as he might, Leon couldn't help but be turned on by his own thoughts, his own fantasies. He wondered aloud if Cloud was still awake. "Are you awake, Cloud?"

"Yes, Asshole," came Clouds reply, "I **am** awake." Cloud mentally kicked himself, his rude reaction was automatic.

"What were you thinking about?" Leon asked casually, as if Cloud wasn't nasty to him at all. Leon's nonchalance really irked Cloud sometimes, if he would just show a little emotion, maybe Cloud could really learn to be friends with him.

"None of your beeswax. Since when do you ask shit like that anyway, Squall?" Cloud spat, his habit of calling Leon Squall showing itself as day-to-day habit.

Leon's only reply was silence.

"There you go again. Why the hell are you always so freaking emotionless?"

'Maybe it's because if I show my emotions, I would do stupid and rash things: like rape you on sight.' That is what Leon would have said, had he chosen to take of his mask. What he really said was, "Because it keeps me safe."

"Safe from what, Squall?" Cloud now got out of bed and climbed down the ladder and sat on the un-used third bed, across from Leon who was still laying down. "Safe from all your swarms of fangirls? Safe from real life? Safe from family?" _'Safe from me?'_ Cloud added in thought.

"Safe from everything, Cloud," Leon replied, siting up to face those confused and emotional cerulean eyes that had been locked on him since their decent from the ladder.

"You're strong, aren't you, Squall? Why would you need protection from anything, let alone everything?" Cloud couldn't believe what he was hearing, he couldn't believe those words were coming out of the brunette man's mouth.

"Physically, yes, but since Rinoa..."—Leon's eyes became distant, and looked away from Cloud's—"I can't handle emotions that are stronger than my will to suppress them." Why was Leon telling Cloud this? Since when was he open with what he felt, let alone open to Cloud? That ice prince mask sure melted quickly; Cloud almost didn't see it drip away.

"What emotions are _that_ horrid?" Cloud asked timidly.

"Wouldn't _you _like to know?"

"Yes, yes I would." Leon returned his gaze to those sky-eyes, searching for the reason as to why that tone was slightly playful. He liked that tone, it just turned him on more.

"We need to get some sleep, we have classes tomorrow, and Mr.L will be angry if we start falling asleep during that." Leon pointed out, trying to tear his eyes away from Cloud's, but failing miserably. Those eyes were too captivating.

"Right, we need to grab some sleep." Cloud whispered, looking away and beginning to climb the ladder again.

God how he wanted to take those lips, how he wanted those cerulean eyes to be contented just at his company...

Leon was almost to his breaking point.


	4. Concerns

Thanks to my Chapter 2 reviewers: scarlettHuntress, and godessofyaoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, FF8, or KH.

**WARNING(S):** YAOI (boy x boy love)!!!! Don't like it? Don't read it! Fluff, _mild_ language, and insanity also lay within! OOC-ness too.

**[PAIRING(S):** :CloudLeon:RikuSora:AkuRoku: -- Don't like it? DON'T READ IT.

**Autumn**

_By: Rikotsu-sama_

**o0 Chapter 3 -- Concerns 0o**

"_We need to get some sleep, we have classes tomorrow, and Mr.L will be angry if we start falling asleep during that." Leon pointed out, trying to tear his eyes away from Cloud's, but failing miserably. Those eyes were too captivating._

"_Right, we need to grab some sleep." Cloud whispered, looking away and beginning to climb the ladder again. _

_God how Leon wanted to take those lips, how he wanted those cerulean eyes to be contented just at his company... _

_Leon was almost to his breaking point._

_o.0.O.0.o_

Leon slept well that night, with the slight happiness of the playful tone Cloud had used before they slept. Cloud, on the other hand, did not fall asleep until three hours before they were to wake. Sleepily, the blonde stalked out of the cabin, already in a foul mood to start off the day. Leon had left the cabin nearly an hour before, for reasons unknown to Cloud.

Soft spikes significantly less bouncy from lack of sleep, Yuffie started to tease Cloud, as she often did, about dating random people, "So, why are you so sleepy? Is it because you were up all night with _Leon_? Hehehe!"

"Shut the hell up, Yuffie. You know that I hate him." Cloud verbally glared at her, continuing down the path between the two rows of cabins, "So why are _you_ so happy? Have fun with Vincent las' night?" Cloud decided the best defense was a teasing offense of his own.

"Oh you shut up, Cloud!" Yuffie growled, slapping Cloud on the arm.

Laughing, Cloud supposed this day wasn't going to be that bad, now if only the treacherous voice in his head would just shut the hell up...

_o.0.O.0.o_

Mentally whistling, Leon went about his day as indifferently as usual. Stealing glances at Cloud every moment he could, Leon heard the "Hallelujah" chorus chanted in his mind over and over. Why he was in such a good mood, Leon would never know.

Cloud nearly fell asleep as he took notes about the bacteria living in the pond in the camp. Who cared about the bacteria anyway? It's not like he cared about the lives of things that would never affect him. _'Now that was mean,'_ he mentally scolded himself. Glancing at Leon, he found the brunette looking back with heated gray eyes. Cloud swiftly turned away, blushing slightly at the look. _'What the hell was that?!'_ He asked himself, loosing track of where he was in his notes on bacteria. _'Squall has officially gone insane on me.' _

'_On you? Or because of you?'_ His little voice wondered, it's words echoing in the chasm of Cloud's mind. Maybe it was Cloud that was going insane? He shook the thought from his mind, and went back to listening to Mr.Lowenthal ramble on about bacteria like it was the most enthralling tale ever told.

Continuing in his notes from where he left off, Cloud found that after a few minutes he was writing down his own thoughts... He found this scribbled across his notebook page:

_Leon Leon Leon Squall Squall Leon Squall Leon Leon Leon... Wouldn't you like to know? Yes, I would. Playful. . . . Why? Who? Why? When? Why? Why? Why? Reasons... hair, eyes, lips... lips lips lips... alone at night for three weeks in a cabin, perfect perfect perfect. Why not? Him. Him is why not. He doesn't like me. He would never like me. Not a chance, not a chance, not a chance..._

Cloud lifted his hand to his face as a drop of liquid hit the page in front of him. He found heated tears rolling down the length of his face. Damn it, now he was _sure_ that _he_ was the one going insane.

Leaning back and placing his head against the tree he was sitting by, Leon wondered what was wrong with him, or more, what was wrong with _Cloud_. Actually, what _wasn't _wrong with Cloud.

Lounging around during the day's Biology lesson, the class was scattered about in a fifty by sixty foot area, leaning against trees, sitting in circles, all with a notebook and pen in hand. Many of the students had a spray can of bug repellant within a foot of them.

Across the clearing, Cloud sat, facing out across the pod, at the water's edge, he could not make out what the blue scribbles on his paper said. Looking down at his own paper, Leon noticed he had not written down more than a few words of what Mr.Lowenthal had said during the two-hour-long lesson. Damn. He made a mental note to copy Tifa's or Aeris's notes later. Since he had missed fifty minutes of the lesson, Leon decided that missing the last hour wouldn't matter, so he continued to rest against the tree and watch as Cloud hurriedly scribbled along on his paper.

His left hand came to stroke his scar lightly as Leon's eyes went out of focus and he remembered everything that had come between Cloud and himself throughout all the years they'd known each other. Best friends for two years, enemies and rivals for the next twelve, until high school ended and they ceased to acknowledge each other's existence; that is until Junior-Year Biology at Traverse U.

Suddenly, Leon's thoughts dampened, the awful truth that he and Cloud could never be because of all that had come between them crushing down upon his shoulders. The gap between them was way too far to jump alone.

"Alright class, lunch time!" Mr.Lowenthal declared, "You all have two hours until we continue our lesson!" Sighing and shouting, the class leapt to their feet and in waves of two to seven people left the clearing, heading back down the path towards the camp. Cloud, not noticing that the lesson had ended, did not move until he noticed Mr.L leave. He glanced up, and looked around, to discover everyone but Tifa had left the clearing. Standing and closing his notebook, Cloud shoved it and his favorite navy pen in his bag before walking up to Tifa.

"I take it that the lesson ended?" Cloud asked dumbly, looking at his female friend.

Laughing, Tifa replied, "Yeah. It did. Why are you so distracted today, Cloud?" The tone of her voice was genuinely concerned.

"I just didn't get much sleep las' night, that's all," Cloud answered, heading out of the area and down the branch-laden path back to civilization, Tifa close behind him.

"You know how to deal with not much sleep, Cloud. You've survived mid-terms with little to no sleep, and finals too." Holding branches out of the way for the other, the pair made their way down the half-mile trail. "Now, please tell me what's up!"

Stopping, Cloud looked back at her, his cerulean eyes looking lost. "Truthfully, I don't know what's up. I just have been thinking too much, I guess. I'm having trouble concentrating. I'm trying to think less, but I don't want to know what would happen to me if I stopped thinking," Cloud laughed at his own joke, but Tifa remained silent. Frowning, Cloud continued, "I really don't know what's wrong, Tifa. Please. Believe me, that if I did know what was wrong, I would go to you or Yuffie first. You two know me better than I know myself, so you know that I would tell you if I knew."

Tifa nodded, passing her friend on the narrow, shrouded, dirt path and continuing the truck back. "I know you would, but ever since we hit college, you haven't been as open with me. I know it sounds lame, but you're acting less like you and more like a guy, Cloud."

Chuckling a tad, "And what's wrong with being a guy? I_ am_ one, after all."

"Nothing, nothing. It's just, that as we grew up I guess we grew apart and you stopped coming to me for as much stuff. I guess I just miss the way you used to come to me after five minutes to talk about things. I guess I'm just being stupid after all," Tifa muttered.

"Maybe there just hasn't been anything _to_ talk about?" Cloud suggested, trying to comfort his upset friend. It was always weird how conversations seemed to twist and turn until instead of being comforted, you were comforting the comforter.

"Heh, I guess that's always a possibility," She sighed unhappily, quickening her pace.

An awkward silence ensued until the pair emerged from the thick forest into the clearing that lead up to the camp.

"**RAWR!!**" Yuffie yelled, jumping out from the trees to their left, nearly giving Tifa a heart attack. Cloud merely stared at her, but Tifa nearly beat her brains out for scaring her. They met up with Vincent, Roxas, Sora, and Namine down the road, and the group of friends sat down at one of the tables near the pool that they had at the camp. At least the camp was well-kept, and modernized.

The group chatted away, but Cloud remained mostly silent. He didn't speak unless spoken to. Such withdrawal was not like him when he was around his friends, and he was sure that all three of the girls surrounding him were shooting him concerned glances, along with the occasional one from Vincent. Not being able to stand the glances, Cloud finished off the lunch that he had gotten at the pool-side shop and left with not so much as a wave goodbye.

"What's wrong with him?" Yuffie half-growled, upset that he hadn't said goodbye before just walking away.

"Yes, I'm becoming very worried. Cloud usually does not act like this. I know that he is withdrawn around strangers or people he doesn't like when he is in big groups, but it's an anomaly for him to act that way around us," Namine pointed out, taking a sip of her glass of raspberry lemonade.

Tifa remained silent on the matter until she caught a knowing look from Vincent. "I believe Tifa knows something we don't," he stated matter-of-factly, still not breaking eye contact. At his remark, the other two girls' eyes immediately attached themselves to hers.

"I- uh... I- I- um..." Tifa stuttered, blushing a little in embarrassment.

"Just spit it out, Girl!" Yuffie shouted, grabbing Tifa's shoulders and shaking her wildly.

Sora and Roxas sat quite as could be, making mental notes of certain things in the conversation...

"I talked to Cloud earlier!" Tifa blurted out, wrenching Yuffie's easily-excitable hands off her now aching shoulders. "I asked him what was wrong, but he assured me that nothing was up. He said that he would definitely come to one of us before anyone else on the matter..." Her voice trailed off, and she imagined herself on the edge of a thin ravine, looking down and then across to the other side, where she saw a figure. Cloud. Slowly, she reached her hand out to take his, but was jerked away. Again and again she tried to close the gap, but it only widened.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Yuffie once again roughly shaking her shoulders and screaming, "Tifa! Tifa! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Blinking, shaking her head, and again twisting those tightly-gripped hands from her shoulders, Tifa replied, "I dunno. I guess I'm just too worried about Cloud for my own good."

"Weren't you the one who just said that he said that he would come to one of us on the matter if there was a matter at all?" Vincent pointed out tastelessly.

"Yea, I know, but I still get this feeling he isn't telling me something," Tifa sighed, picking up her club sandwich and taking a large bite out of it. She could hear her own teeth munching on the lettuce. Silently, she wished Cloud was still like he was in elementary school: shy, a cry-baby, and very open with her. She guessed that now was one of those times you wish that you could still be a kid again.


	5. Memories Laid to Rest

Where to begin, where to begin...? -searches about her room for her notes- I suppose I'll just start here: Thank you. Thank you so much you guys. You guys really brought me back to life. I've decided not to COMPLETELY re-do the story, because that'd just make me loose my interest in it. So, the chapters have been edited, chapters two and three the most. **I do recommend re-reading those chapters because ****some key plot-points have been CHANGED.**

From now on, I'll be writing these stories for myself, because _I_ want to write them. I'll try not to care so much about how many reviews I get and shit like that, but hey, if I loose interest, reviews could always bring me back. And don't forget, reviewing isn't the only way to get ahold of me. Check my profile for all the information you'd ever need to contact me. Even if you just want to chat, I'd love to talk to any and all of you. You guys really inspire me so much. Thank you again. Now please, enjoy the next chapter of _Autumn_: Memories Laid to Rest.

Thanks to my chapter #3 reviewers: Risi-Chan, dyedlovingu0chu chu girl, FaiNeko, It's Beyond Over, Nathali, SleighBells, and Demon-Roxy. You guys remind me of why I love to write. Thank you.

Also, thanks to those who commented on the notes: dyedlovingu0chu chu girl and FaiNeko. I love you guys. -hug- Thank you so much for the support.

This Chapter is Dedicated to: **DyedLovingU** because her words on my last chapter really changed the way I think about my writing. Thank you oh so much.

Disclaimer: I don't own FF7, FF8, KH, or KH2. Storyline and writing are accredited to me. The song "Stay" is by Poets of the fall, not me.

**WARNING(S):** YAOI (boy x boy love)!!!! Don't like it? Don't read it! Fluff, _mild_ language, and insanity also lay within! OOC-ness too.

**[PAIRING(S):** :CloudLeon:RikuSora:AkuRoku: -- Don't like it? DON'T READ IT.

**Autumn**

_By: Rikotsu-sama_

**o.0. Chapter 4 -- Memories Laid to Rest .0.o**

_Blinking, shaking her head, and again twisting those tightly-gripped hands from her shoulders, Tifa replied, "I dunno. I guess I'm just too worried about Cloud for my own good."_

"_Weren't you the one who just said that he said that he would come to one of us on the matter if there was a matter at all?" Vincent pointed out tastelessly. _

"_Yea, I know, but I still get this feeling he isn't telling me something," Tifa sighed, picking up her club sandwich and taking a large bite out of it. She could hear her own teeth munching on the lettuce. Silently, she wished Cloud was still like he was in elementary school: shy, a cry-baby, and very open with her. She guessed that now was one of those times you wish that you could still be a kid again._

_o.0.O.0.o_

Leon sighed, attempting to push the memories of this place away from him. Slowly, he was subdued by the rush of emotions and images this place held. He sat, legs hanging over the edge of a mountain cliff about two or three miles away from the camp.

Cloud and his families had been friends for the two years before the fight that started all that was their hatred. During this, every other weekend, their families would go on a camping trip up at this very cliff. Leon sighed, falling backwards onto the rough ground and closing his eyes.

He would never forget when Cloud's older sister, Larxene, and Cloud's younger brother, Sora, made him and Cloud kiss at age four, up here during a game of Truth or Dare (Larxene's idea). Vaguely, Leon also remembered Sora's fraternal twin, Roxas, laughing it up at them in the background of the scene. Both of them were disgusted at the time. Leon supposed that was _really_ the beginning of it all, because every time he thought about the way he felt about Cloud, that memory shot through his consciousness.

Leon had never thought he'd see this place again. The air hung thick in reminiscence when the crunching of rocky gravel beneath sneakers reached Leon's ears. Leon's stormy eyes caught sight of blonde spikes, and he sat up, turning around to face the newcomer.

_o.0.O.0.o_

"_It's the little things that make the world._" Cloud hummed to himself, one earbud hanging out of his ear casually as he eased himself down onto the edge of the cliff. He wondered faintly about how fitting the song was to all the shit that had happened between him and Leon in the past. He stared out into the red-rock hills with it's thick trees and rough, patchy grass. Somehow, the entire scene seemed to be a memory, but Cloud couldn't quite put his finger on what made it feel that way.

He glanced down to the plateau around twenty feet below him, to find an unexpected sight: Leon and... Roxas? That's when it all came rushing back. The camping trips, the friendship, the swing, the kiss... How could Cloud have forgotten the kiss? He tore his eyes away to cup his face in his hands in shame. Everything that happened between them could have been the opposite of what it was right then, if only he hadn't pushed Jade on the swing. That's what ruined so much of his life.

Cloud had spent much of his time brooding over and plotting to win against Leon in high school, which took away from his studies, nearly making him fail many of his classes. He spent too much time worrying about his rivalry and hatred of Leon to concentrate on what mattered. He had to work his ass off the last semester of high school to even get the _chance_ to go to college. His life was so fucked up and it was all because of one day when he was five years old.

Sobbing, Cloud fought against his tear glands. Winning the fight only meant he wouldn't cry, but it was a step. He looked up to see Roxas, patting Leon's cheek affectionately. Cloud desperately wanted to know what was happening between the pair, but decided jumping off a twenty-foot cliff would be unwise. Climbing to his feet, Cloud began his search for a way down to Leon and Roxas's plateau.

_o.0.O.0.o_

"From what I hear, you have quite a thing for our little Cloud," the newcomer stated, his blue eyes flashing dangerously as they met stormy grey orbs.

"..." Leon stayed quiet. How could they know? He hadn't told anyone about the way he felt about Cloud. He waited for his unwelcome companion to continue.

"I guess I'll get right to the punch." He continued, watching as Leon hoisted himself back up into a standing position. "I want you to stay away from Cloud."

"And why's that?" Leon inquired casually, brushing some dust off his trousers. "Do you fear for him, Roxas?"

"Yes. You nearly ruined his life once. Over something so trivial as pushing a girl on a swing in kindergarden from what I've heard. You taunted him, nearly made him fail high school and not go to college. You've gone so far as to hurt him again and again and again. I'm not going to let you do that again. Ever." The seriousness in Roxas's voice was enough to scare anyone. "So, stay way from Cloud. I'd hate to see you get hurt." Roxas Leon's cheek in mock affection.

Roxas turned, leaving the rocky plateau calmly, a slightly confused Leon staring after him. Leon turned back to the cliff, looking out upon the serene scene. The world seemed oblivious to his problems, the birds chirped without a care in the world, the trees swayed in the autumn breeze, and the clouds wisped across the wide, blue-gray sky.

_o.0.O.0.o_

Rubbing his butt, Cloud winced at the bruises he were sure to ensue. He cursed the rock that had made him tumble down that hill. Scratches stretched the length of his arms and a fresh rip on the knee of his jeans was open to show off a bleeding knee.

"Fucking rock, fucking hill, ow! Fucking knee!" Cloud cursed, standing and wincing at the pain in his knee. He looked up to see he was finally on the plateau he was looking for, and to have a normal, emotionless Leon staring at him in mild amusement.

"..." Leon's old, quiet, nature beginning to set in once more. He showed inward concern for Cloud, considering his injuries, but what Roxas had said had hit him hard. He knew he'd caused Cloud pain and suffering in the past, and enjoyed it, but now was different... wasn't it? Roxas could be right. Maybe he would just end up enjoying hurting Cloud again. Old habits die hard, didn't they?

"So, what were you and Rox talking about?" Cloud broke the ice.

"..." He couldn't tell Cloud what they were really talking about. He opened his mouth to lie, but his tongue went dry, and he closed his mouth. He looked away from those accusing cerulean orbs.

"Oh, so you can't tell me why he was flirting with you?" Leon's head shot back towards Cloud, his stormy gray eyes aflame with confusion. Had Cloud just said Roxas had been flirting with him? He thought back to the pat on the cheek. It had been mocking, but maybe Cloud hadn't thought so. How did Cloud know about this anyway?

"How do you know I was talking to Roxas?" Leon asked, and then followed Clouds gesture as he pointed to the plateau Cloud had been watching from.

"So, what were you two talking about?"

"None of your business, Strife." With that, Leon walked forward, walking past Cloud, shoving the smaller man aside with his shoulder.

"So, what? Are we in kindergarden again, Squall? Fighting over the trivialities?" Cloud asked, annoyed.

Leon stopped in his tracks, turning halfway to look at the blonde.

"No, my bad, you would have already tackled me to the ground for saying anything to you." Cloud mocked. "At least I gave you that scar to remember me by." Cloud pointed the scar on Leon's face. Cloud stepped up so he was mere inches from his rival. "Just stay away from my little brother, Squall. I still don't know what's going on between you two, but I will soon enough." Cloud shoved past Leon and into the dense forest, making his way back to camp. Roxas had some explaining to do.


	6. Clarity

-shifty eyes- Hi! Long time no see, right? Like more than a year, I'm surprised people are still favoriting and putting my work on alert. . . Many apologies for no updates. I've been caught up with life and other writing. I just got over a major wave of writer's block and had the urge to go read some SasuNaru fanfiction and somehow ended up reading my own again. . . It got me thinking "hey! I should write fanfiction again!" and so here I am. . .

I'd like to apologize for all the drama concerning deleting, discontinuing, and re-writing this story. . . I just had some low self-esteem when it came to my writing, but I have since found myself in a sense. At least who I am as a writer and why I love to do this. So, the story is here to stay and I already have the fiction all nice and planned out all the way. Look for common updates within the next couple weeks although they may end up being more scarce come May because of finals. I will be back though. I promise!! For now, just enjoy the chapter (I hope). Sorry it's short. I promise the next will be longer. :)

_Thanks to my chapter 4 reviewers:_ Dyedlovingu0chu chu girl, FaiNeko, Billie the fourth sage, Midnight Crisis, MadameNoire, gothicgirl2.0, and Lady Serena Sparrow.

Midnight Crisis-- I literally _just_ read your review. I know you wrote it so long ago, but it made me smile so wide you have no idea. Thank you thank you thank you. You're too nice to me, and I'm happy you like my story. -hug-

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own FF7, FF8, KH, or KH2. Storyline and writing are mine.

**WARNING:** YAOI (boy x boy love)!!!! Don't like it? Don't read it! Fluff, _mild_ language, and insanity also lay within! OOC-ness too.

**Pairings:** CloudLeon, RikuSora, AkuRoku -- Don't like it? DON'T READ IT.

_This is placed in an alternate universe._

**Autumn**

Chapter 5: Clarity

_By: Rikotsu-sama_

"_So, what? Are we in kindergarten again, Squall? Fighting over the trivialities?" Cloud asked, annoyed._

_Leon stopped in his tracks, turning halfway to look at the blonde. _

"_No, my bad, you would have already tackled me to the ground for saying anything to you." Cloud mocked. "At least I gave you that scar to remember me by." Cloud pointed the scar on Leon's face. Cloud stepped up so he was mere inches from his rival. "Just stay away from my little brother, Squall. I still don't know what's going on between you two, but I will soon enough." Cloud shoved past Leon and into the dense forest, making his way back to camp. Roxas had some explaining to do. _

_o0O0o_

Back at camp it took Cloud a few minutes to track down his little brother, but finally found him snuggled up to Axel under a tree. Cloud looked on with a vague tenderness for the couple.

Cloud cleared his throat, catching the couple's attention.

"Hey Cloud. What's up?" Roxas asked nonchalantly. Did he honestly believe Cloud didn't know what happened?

"May I have a word with my brother, Axel?" Cloud asked, keeping his voice in check.

"Sure," Axel answered, gesturing for Roxas to go with Cloud. As Roxas stood, handing Cloud a suspicious look, Axel added, "Come back soon, Cutie."

Cloud inwardly eye-rolled, but simply continued on to a clearing in the woods nearby to interrogate his younger brother. Upon reaching the far side of the clearing, Cloud turned to glare at Roxas. "Explain," Cloud nearly growled.

"Explain what?" Roxas asked, honestly confused.

"What were you doing with Squall in the middle of the woods?"

"How did you find out about that?"

"I was watching from the plateau above the one you guys were on. Now explain what the hell you were doing."

"Nothing," Roxas lied, "I just saw him there and we had a little chat about why he was out there."

Cloud gave Roxas a skeptical look. "We both know that wasn't why you were talking to him, now tell me the truth. What were you guys talking about."

Roxas paused, not even moving to speak. Should he tell Cloud the real reason why he was talking to Leon? He deserved to know, Roxas reasoned. "I was telling him to. . . to stay away."

"From you?" Cloud asked, crossing his arms.

". . . No. From you."

"From me? Why?"

"That is not my information to tell. I've told you all I am allowed to," Roxas explained. "If you want the rest of the story you would have to ask Leon. I would rather you not, though. I have good reasons why I told him to stay away from you."

"Well if you can't tell me those reasons I have nothing holding me back from getting them from Squall."

"Cloud. . . please just trust me this time. Stay away from him."

Cloud sighed, looking back into Roxas's cerulean eyes. "Fine. But I'll listen to what he has to say if he comes to me. Deal?"

"Deal." Now all Roxas had to do was pray that Leon heeded his warning.

The two broke apart, Roxas back to Axel and Cloud back to his Cabin.

**o0O0o**

Just as Roxas had hoped, Cloud and Leon found no reason to talk for the next few days until a heat wave passed over the mountains and Yuffie (indirectly) hatched an evil plan.

"Yipee!" Yuffie screamed at the top of her lungs, jumping up and down on the table at dinner.

"Yuffie! Stop that or we won't go," Tifa threatened her friend.

"Awww. . . Party poopers," Yuffie complained, climbing down and back into her seat. "I'm just so excited! This is gonna be wicked awesome!"

"I think I may sit this out. I forgot my bathing suit," Aeris stated shyly.

"I brought two, you can borrow my other one!" Yuffie offered.

"Um. . . Alright."

While the girls chatted away about the coming event, Vincent, Cloud, and Sora brooded over thoughts of the girls in bathing suits quietly across the table.

"What's going on? We saw Yuffie flip out all the way across the dining hall," Roxas stated as he and Axel took seats at the communal table.

"We're gonna have a midnight swim party!" Yuffie exclaimed, barely containing her enthusiasm.

"Um. . . might I ask why?"

"Who cares why. I get to see you in a bathing suit, that's all that matters," Axel told his lover, wrapping his arm around the blonde boy's lithe waist. Roxas blushed and continued to quietly eat his dinner.

"So we're all clear on _the plan_, right?" Yuffie asked, "Meet by the lake at 11:30."

The remainder of the group agreed in their own ways.

Aeris suggested, "Why don't we invite Leon too? He is a friend."

Cloud's head shot up at the mention of the man but did not enter the conversation.

"Sure! Let's invite Squally too!" Yuffie agreed, "Anyone else we should invite?"

"Namine and Kairi?" Sora verbalized.

"Sure! Sora it's your job to tell them. I'll get ahold of Squally. Anyone else?"

After deciding upon the invited persons, the group dispersed for some homework time before the event.


	7. Contemplation

**I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or 8, nor do I own Kingdom Hearts I or II or any of their characters. They belong to Square Enix. **

Autumn

Chapter 6: Contemplation

Leon was not in their cabin for most of the evening, presumably being hunted down by Yuffie and forced to agree to the midnight swim. Cloud, on the other hand, was doing some of the assigned Bio work as well as the homework from his other classes that he had received early. As he brooded over a particularly annoying Calculus problem, Cloud heard the door open and it was none other than Leon. Cloud turned back to his work, but glanced at the clock. 11:07. It was almost time to get ready for the swim. Cloud gave a quiet sigh and resumed his work. Perhaps he could finish this assignment before then.

Leon rummaged through a couple of his bags for a minute before pulling out a swim suit. "I'm gonna change, so don't turn around," Leon stated blandly.

"Like I'd want to?" Cloud snickered, scribbling down the answer to the overly annoying problem and moving onto the next which was the exact same problem only with a different x variable.

Leon didn't reply as he stripped and changed into his bathing suit. Feeling weird wearing no top he added a plain white t-shirt to the ensemble.

Cloud sat, distracted by how he knew Leon was stripping right behind him and a light blush stained his cheeks. Why had Roxas gone so far as to talk to Leon on purpose? It was horrible not knowing, but he knew Roxas had the best of intentions, right? Then again if he didn't know the reason he couldn't assess the validity of the statement. Perhaps, despite Roxas's request, he should ask Leon about it. Cloud scrunched up his nose and wrote down the final answer to the problem he was working on and closed his math book triumphantly. One assignment down. He smiled and stretched his arms, leaning backwards and closing his eyes. Was it that big of a deal to ask Leon despite Roxas's warning? It was only an explanation, how much damage could it do? "Squall?" Cloud asked, keeping his eyes closed, but leaning back forward and resting his elbows on the small table.

"Cloud." Leon answered stoically, leaning back down to search for his sandals in his bag.

Cloud paused, swallowing and opening his eyes only to stare at the wooden wall. "What was it you and Roxas were talking about in the woods?"

"Why do you care?" His voice was icy daggers in Cloud's confidence, but he did well not to show it.

"My curiosity is killing me, and Roxas won't tell." Cloud's straightforward answer surprised even himself a little bit. It was true, though. It had been consuming his thoughts for all of three days since he interrogated Roxas. He... wanted to know.

Leon wondered if he should tell the truth. He couldn't keep up this ice façade for much longer; it was killing him inside that he couldn't just tell Cloud how he felt. But what Roxas had said to him rang dreadfully true... He had nearly ruined Cloud's life once before, there was no insurance that he wouldn't do it again. Not to mention, there was no way Cloud returned his affections. Cloud was as straight as an arrow and everyone knew it. There was no use telling him since the rejection was immanent. Yuffie always told him, "Squally, you'll never know if she likes you unless you ask her." Even though she had been speaking about Rinoa at the time, Leon reckoned the principle still applied. But did it? There was a zero percent chance of it being worthwhile and would probably just end in embarrassment for both of them. But a piece of Leon, despite his continued doubts, desperately clung to the miniscule possibility that Cloud liked him back. Just maybe there was a chance it wouldn't be a confession given to deaf ears.

Cloud turned in his chair to look at the brown-haired man. Was it that hard to think of what they were talking about? "Can't you remember?" He teased lightly, but Leon didn't respond. Standing, Cloud waved his hand in front of his companion's face. "Squall?"

Blinking at the hand, Leon was broken away from his thoughts by an annoyed Cloud.

"Whatever. Don't tell me. I don't care anymore," Cloud complained, grabbing his towel from it's hanging place on the end of the bed and leaving the cabin in a worse mood than if he hadn't asked. Was it that hard to tell him, that hard to remember, or was Leon just not telling him because it knew it annoyed Cloud? That must be it. There was no other reason that Leon wouldn't have told him, right? Right. He was just an ass and that's all there was to it, Cloud decided.

Leon sighed, slipping on his sandals. It wasn't that hard to tell him, and Leon knew it, but the fact that he was too afraid to was what scared him the most. Cloud meant more to Leon than he had ever expected him to. He had never felt this way, even with Rinoa. Sure, he had been in love with her, but somehow things with Cloud felt... different. Like he might just stop breathing if Cloud so much as looked at him. Leon shook his head, willing the thoughts of the blonde to disappear, but no such luck.

Soon enough, Yuffie came bounding into the cabin to find Leon spacing out, sitting on the single bed. "What's up, Squally?" Yuffie asked with concern, sitting down next to her friend. When Leon didn't answer, Yuffie huffed a sigh of annoyance and whacked him (quite hard) on the head.

With an "ow" of both surprise and pain Leon looked over at the brunette. "What was that for?" He nearly snarled. Why was it she always seemed to be the one that he wasn't afraid to take his mask off in front of?

"You were ignoring me, dummy!" Yuffie complained, whacking him on the arm a little too hard. That was going to leave a bruise.

Leon remained silent, but gave Yuffie a look that said "so, you were saying?" Oh, that was right. The swim. The thing he had been working around all day? It was supposed to start in less than ten minutes. Perhaps that was why Yuffie dropped by.

"Is there something wrong?" It was an uncharacteristic concern Yuffie showed that Leon had only seen on one other occasion. It made him think that he must be really troubled if she was going that far as to ask him.

"Nothing." A lie, naturally.

"Liar. Liar, liar pants on fire!" Yuffie exclaimed, jabbing Leon hard in the ribs. Ow. Yuffie was such a bully sometimes. "Seriously. You've been even more distant than normal this week. I want you to tell me what's wrong." She added, "Now, Leon."

"There's nothing wrong," Leon insisted, standing up and grabbing his towel off of his bed. His mask firmly set in place, Leon was determined not to let the girl invade his thoughts this time. "You came to drag me to that swim, right?" He asked rhetorically, moving for the door only to be caught on the arm by two urgent hands. Leon turned his gray eyes to meet her brown ones. The concern they held made Leon's confidence falter, but he didn't show it.

"Please, Leon," she pleaded, very unlike her, "Tell me what's wrong..." She paused, expecting an answer, but got none. Taking a guess she asked, her eyes still constant with his, "Does it have to do with Cloud?" She scanned his eyes for some sort of answer and found it as his eyes softened at the mention of the blonde's name. She smiled a soft smile at her friend. "So it is."

"It's none of your business, Yuffie," Leon hissed, praying she would let up lest he let his guard down to her.

Yuffie cocked an eyebrow at this. "That's never stopped me before, and I know you need to talk about it, so just tell me already. You know you'll end up telling me one way or another anyway." The ninja was right, Leon had to admit. He _would _tell her eventually. He always did, but that did not mean he wanted to tell her now.

Leon kept eye contact with those interesting brown eyes of hers, and contemplated telling her. How would he ever tell Cloud he liked him without first telling his closest friend? It just didn't seem logical.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when he couldn't find just the right words to say how he felt. He sighed and, after breaking that mind-wrenching eye contact for just a moment, looked straight into Yuffie's eyes and said, albeit a tiny bit shakily, "I like him more than you could ever know, and it's killing me inside." It felt like the world had been lifted from his shoulders when he could feel his mask melt away.

Yuffie smiled one of the most genuine smiles at him she had since Rinoa passed. "Now was that so hard?" She asked, teasing her friend. She dropped her hands from their hold on his arm and sat back down on the bed, patting the place next to her. "Come sit and tell Dr. Yuffie all about it."

Leon smirked at her silliness, but sat down next to her nonetheless.

"So, when did you know?" Yuffie asked him happily. Leon suddenly felt like he was being interrogated by his mother, which made him smile.

"The first time I saw him in science this year. He had changed _so_ much and I knew he was finally over what happened back then. He didn't care anymore." Leon paused to take a breath; all the memories rushing back to him made his voice falter, "Somehow knowing that made me see him in a whole knew light. Like-- like he was an entirely new person. And then when I really took the time to watch him around Tifa, I saw his smile. It was breathtaking, and I..." It took him a moment to figure out how to phrase it. "I fell in love."

The silence that ensued was happy to say the least, and Yuffie had a hard time not glomping her friend into the bed with pride. So, she settled with wrapping her arms around his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Leon. You haven't meant something so sincerely since we had this same conversation about Rinoa. But, why is Cloud any different from her?"

"How is Cloud not different from her?" Leon asked with a chuckle, a certain comfort coming to him from the weight of the woman on his right shoulder. "The most obvious being that he's a guy."

"You know that love knows no gender. What's it matter that he's a guy?" Yuffie smiled into her friends arm and snuggled a little closer. He was so nice to snuggle into. Cloud was luckier than he could ever know.

What _did_ it matter? Oh, that's right. "He's not gay." There was no way they could be together if Cloud didn't even like guys. Then again, nei--

"Neither are you. You don't like guys. You never have. Am I right?" Leon gave a small nod.

"He's different..." Leon breathed. It was curious how Yuffie could get Leon to spill his heart to her without even trying that hard. How did she did it Leon would never find out.

"So, if he can make you look at him the way you do, despite not being interested in men, maybe you can do the same for him. You'll never know if you don't--"

"Ask him. I know." Yuffie was cut short as Leon finished her all too familiar sentiment. (1)

Yuffie sighed, took a moment for the thought to think in and then jumped up from her position by his side and shouted, "Now c'mon, if we don't hurry we'll be late for the swim!" She picked up her towel from its discarded spot on the table (on top of Cloud's math textbook) and headed for the door. Just as she opened it, she turned and in a comforting voice told Leon, "You'll be just fine no matter what happens in the end. That much I know for sure." She then dashed out the door shouting a "hurry up you slow bunny!" as she disappeared.

Leon sighed. Maybe she was right. It's not as though feelings this strong could be completely one-sided, right? He still clung to the possibility, despite the odds.

-----------------------------------------------------------

When Cloud arrived at the decided lake spot, he was the only one there. Setting down his towel and laying it out on the comfortably dry grass by the shoreline Cloud noticed it was just a little too cold for a swim, but once Yuffie had an idea, she would never back down from it. He even caught the smell of rain on the wind. Maybe it would rain whilst they were swimming. He had to admit, that would be a pretty unique experience. He smiled a little and looked out at the lake, deciding it would actually be pretty damn cool if it did rain, thus started looking forward to it. The lake was crystal clear and smelled ever so slightly of chlorine. It was a small enough lake that the camp was able to buy it off the large landowners nearby and chlorinate it in order to make it suitable for the campers to swim in. How thoughtful of them. It was definitely a different experience from swimming in a manufactured pool.

Smiling ever so slightly, Cloud stripped out of his t-shirt and flipped off his sneakers, leaving them by his towel and waded in a few feet. The water was surprisingly warm, maybe 70 degrees Fahrenheit? When he turned around, Yuffie was stripping down to her bikini, obviously not noticing him.

"Yuffie." Cloud said at a normal volume. Yuffie jumped at her name and looked out to the water and found the moonlit blonde spikes with her eyes after a little squinting.

"Cloud?" She asked, suspicious. "It is you!" She decided, defiantly pointing at him and shouting, "You're gonna pay for that..." With that she tugged off her tall, lace-up boots (why did she never wear any other shoes?). Finally free of all her clothes save for her bathing suit, she dashed out into the water and jumped on Cloud, dunking him. He came back up sputtering in surprise, his spikes flat against his face. Yuffie combed back her own short, black hair with her fingers to uncover her eyes. Cloud just flipped his head from side to side, effectively releasing any and all blonde tresses from his face.

"See? That's what you get for scaring me," Yuffie giggled as Cloud shot her a small glare.

As Yuffie and Cloud began a dunking battle, the majority of the group showed up and joined in on the fun. Aeris, who had ultimately refused the bikini Yuffie had offered to lend her, sat in shorts and a tank-top on the shore reading a book. Cloud didn't even notice when Leon arrived because he took a seat near Aeris, calmly watching the festivities.

Cloud only became aware of Leon's presence when Yuffie shouted, "I want to see Cloud race Leon across the lake!" Cloud, turning around in the water and brushing some hair out of his face, wore a surprised expression. He had all but completely forgot about Leon, and instantly looked over at the shore, catching the brunette's gaze. A race, huh?

"Sure," Cloud agreed, confident he could win. He had swum for the Traverse High Swim Team for all four years of high school. He was confident he could win. He _would _win.

Leon kept looking on from afar, coldly staring into Cloud's sapphire eyes. What was the point of a swim race against cloud he would never be able to win? Cloud was the team's star swimmer, had been all through high school. As Cloud's eyes became determined, Leon knew there was no way out. Sighing silently, he hoisted himself up from his sitting position and stripped out of his white t-shirt that was illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. He left it by his towel.

When Leon took off his shirt, Cloud couldn't help but stare a little before tearing his eyes away. He hadn't really thought about it before, but Leon was really good looking. Cloud mentally smacked himself for thinking anything like that about Squall.

Cloud swam up to the shore, stopping at a line indicated by Yuffie defiantly shooting her arm straight forward. Leon waded out and followed suit. Looking at them both with suspicious eyes, Yuffie told them, "Alright. Let's have a good, clean race. First to the other side of the lake by that rock--" She indicated by pointing to a rather large ovular rock on the other side of the lake. "wins. Get ready." She paused as cloud moved one leg back in the sand, ready to push off. "Get set." Leon took one last look at Cloud's blonde spikes. "Go!" And they were off. It was impossible to see who was the lead from their point of view.

"Was there a point to that?" Tifa asked, giving Yuffie a suspicious look.

Guiltily, Yuffie answered, "No. Why would there be?"

"You're lying," Vincent stated blandly.

"Alright, alright," Yuffie admitted, raising up her arms with her palms out like she was being asked by a policeman to calmly step away from the vehicle. "I wanted to give Squally an opportunity to talk to Cloud without us here."

"You did what?" Roxas demanded, pushing away from where Axel had been holding onto his waist. "Why the hell would you give Squall a perfect opportunity to tell Cloud he likes him?"

"Leon likes Cloud?" Sora asked, blinking at his twin brother. The entire group gave Sora a look that said "well-duh-how-did-you-not-notice". Sora sheepishly backed away towards Riku.

Yuffie explained, "What's wrong with giving him the opportunity? Squally really likes Cloud and I think he should tell 'im how he feels!" Yuffie gesticulated so much the water around her rippled with anger.

Roxas shot the ninja a scowl and replied, "I specifically told him to stay away from Cloud, you know. He nearly ruined Cloud's life once. I'm not about to let it happen again."

"And how are you so sure it will happen again?" Yuffie almost screamed. Aeris finally looked up from her book towards the commotion.

Roxas didn't reply. Yuffie shot him a glare that could kill. "If Cloud doesn't even like Leon that way, you have nothing to worry about then, right? But even if he does, it's his choice to make. You can't stop him from making it." Since when was Yuffie master of advice? It's not like she had ever really been with all guessed she just watched way too many movies.

Roxas looked away, effectively killing the conversation. He was angry to admit it, but Yuffie was right. No matter how much Roxas wanted to protect his older brother, he couldn't control him.

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**(1)** This is something that my friends tell me all the time when I like someone. Funny how these things come up again. lol.

This is a lot longer chappie than I usually give this fic, but I had to find a good stopping point, even though I still don't like how I stopped it... I really wanted to add the Next like... Three scenes, but decided not to explode all of your minds. Lol!!

Well, if you like, please please please review!! It's what makes me want to update faster! Hehe!

Luffs,

Riri


	8. Rainsoaked Thoughts

BlackRose32627 Your wish is granted! Here's the update for you! Your message actually gave me the little push I needed to finish the chapter. Tankies! -hugs-

**I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or 8 or any of their characters, nor do I own Kingdom Hearts I or II or any of their characters. They belong to Square Enix.**

Autumn

Chapter 7: Rain-soaked Thoughts

As expected, Cloud won the swim race by a considerable amount. But as he reached the beach next to the ovular stone, there was a clap of thunder overhead and it began to rain. Not that warm, summer rain, either. It was cold. Extremely cold. Chilled to the bone by the rain, Cloud thought it felt nice after the exercise, so he lay down on his back on the beach, his feet still lingering in the warm lake water. He sighed, closing his eyes and letting the rain drench him as he allowed his breathing to steady.

Only ten seconds after Cloud reached the beach, Leon joined him. Unlike Cloud, Leon did not enjoy the cool rain. He stood, his icy mask still in place and looked down at the blonde who was still breathing hard. They stayed in the silence, listening to the rumble of rain and the scattered thunder, painfully aware of each other's presence. They were alone. The others on the other side of the lake could barely see them, so they would not be disturbed.

Was that what Yuffie had planned for them? Leon wondered. Perhaps she was giving him the perfect opportunity to tell Cloud how he felt. Leon smirked, that did sound like Yuffie. But he still didn't know how to tell the blonde politely that he basically wanted to jump his bones and kiss him into submission.

"Squall?" Cloud was still in the habit of calling him that, and it still shot a pang of annoyance through the brunette.

"Yeah?" He didn't know exactly how to reply. The blonde lying there, hair wet but still retaining vague spikes and shirtless was, needless to say, turning Leon on. It fogged over his mind as Cloud spoke to him.

Cloud opened his eyes and they immediately caught the gray ones of his companion. Cloud leaned up, but before he stood, Leon held out a hand to help him up. Taking the hand, he hoisted himself to his feet with Leon's help. Once standing, the two were close, too close for Cloud to be comfortable. "G- good race," Cloud mumbled, shaking the brunette's hand.

"Hn." The two remained close, Leon being only an inch or so taller than Cloud, so they kept their gaze. Was this the opportunity Leon had been looking for to tell Cloud how he felt? He was no more than a foot away, he could capture those lips so easily...

It was hard to pull away, Cloud noticed. Somehow he was drawn to this man, this man that he had hated with the passion of a thousand suns for _years_. It was strange, and maybe he was making it up, but was Squall looking at him weirdly? He couldn't be. Squall never showed emotion in those stone-cold eyes of his. But that look was so strange, almost... lustful? Cloud shook his head, letting go of Leon's hand and taking a step away.

On instinct, Leon reached out for the blonde man, not wanting his presence to move away, and looped an arm around his waist, pulling him to him. Out of surprise Cloud asked, "Squall?" Leon looked into his eyes and knew that this was worth it. All the pain of sixteen years, peaking in this one moment. It meant more to him than he would ever know when Cloud did not pull away, leaving his hands resting on Leon's upper arms where he put them out of surprise when he was tugged towards the man's warmth.

Cloud wondered why it was so hard to pull away from Squall. Those gray eyes were enticing, almost inviting now mere inches away. Cloud felt the strange urge to lean forward and kiss this man, but reined in the alien feelings. No. He hated this man whose arms he now resided within. He would not let him breach his defenses like he did way back when.

The two stayed, their eyes locked, neither willing to give in for what seemed like an eternity. Leon, finally deciding that, whatever the outcome, telling Cloud about his feelings was infinitely better than leaving them bottled up inside, leaned in and kissed the blonde.

The cold rain around them went forgotten.

Cloud, suddenly weak-kneed, leaned into the kiss. It was soft, and curious. Leon gently moved his lips against Cloud's, looping his other arm around the man's waist.

Was... Squall... kissing him? Cloud's mind hazed over as the brunette's lips sensually moved against his own. He couldn't quite keep up with what was going on, until finally it clicked in his mind. The conversation that night, Roxas's warning, the reason behind Squall not wanting to tell him that evening in their cabin. All of it. Cloud's eyes shot open and he pushed with full force on Leon's chest, effectively pushing the man away and breaking the kiss. Cloud was left breathless, a hand held to his red lips. Cloud looked into Leon's eyes, searching for answers. Leon's gray orbs were clouded with passion and... hurt?

Without a word, Cloud turned and sprinted at full speed to his right, across an open beach clearing, and into the forest. He didn't look back.

Cloud's sandy footprints were quickly washed away in the rain.

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As soon as she knew something had happened, Tifa had dashed off in search of Cloud. Yuffie hadn't been able to see what transpired between the two men, but when Leon swam back like his life depended on it and then promptly stormed back to camp, she could assume. The group still swimming shared a few worried looks, and floated in silence as the brunette left them. Roxas made the mistake of snickering.

Yuffie's eyes shot straight to the blonde, the malicious glare nearly impaling him through the chest with its force. "What was that?" Yuffie growled.

Roxas attempted to back and held his silence.

"Was it because you're happy Leon was rejected? Are you laughing at his pain?" She didn't pause long enough for him to respond. "Eh." She held up her hand, stopping him from speaking. "It doesn't matter the reason. All that matters is that I know you're a heartless bastard." She swam to the shore and gathered her things, following Leon. She tossed a cold wave of goodbye over her shoulder.

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The first thing Cloud decided was that he needed to leave. Leave the camp, leave Leon, leave all his memories of this place behind.

After nearly getting lost in the woods surrounding the camp he left his things that he left by the lake where they were. Someone would keep them for him. Next, once he got into his cabin, thoroughly soaked to the bone, he shoved all of his things clumsily into his bag and ran outside, extremely happy that Larxene was a surprisingly good older sister and had convinced him to pack an umbrella. He stopped at the entrance to camp, nearly a mile down the now muddy road, and rummaged in his backpack for his cell phone. He plucked it out of a small pocket and speed dialed his older sister.

"Why the hell are you calling me after midnight?" Larxene greeted, having looked at her caller ID. She sounded annoyed, though it was to be expected.

Cloud, still dazed, answered, "I need you to come pick me up." He swallowed, readjusting his backpack on his shoulders. The raid didn't seem to be letting up, and now, instead of the cooling sensation it had provided earlier, felt like it was mocking him. Laughing at his troubles, his life, at him. (1) He tried to concentrate on the dead-tired voice on the other end of the wavering connection.

"What? Now?" Larxene growled. Cloud could almost see her hit her pillow and then shove herself up into a sitting position from it with an "oomph" of strain.

Cloud nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Yes. I need to get out of here. Just please, come get me." Damn it all to hell. He wished he could have been a smart person and just skipped this trip altogether, but no! Yuffie had convinced him to come back to this dreadful place. It wasn't her fault, though. It was Squall's. It was all his fault for kissing him --Cloud still didn't understand why he did that-- and it was all his fault for being a bastard. It was all Squall's fault for even existing at all.

"Urgh fine, but you'll owe me fuckin' big time. Where're you at?"

"Just drive up the road towards our old camping ground. But at that fork take a right instead of a left. You'll see me."

"Be there in half an hour. Remember: you owe me."

"I know."

Before he knew it, the phone clicked back to the dial-tone and Cloud flipped his phone shut, shoving it back in a pocket of his bag. Now all he had to do was wait. But his peace was quickly interrupted when he heard the sound of wet footsteps and looked over, in the shadow of a tree that lined the dirt road.

"Do you like him?" the silhouette asked.

Cloud watched as the womanly curves walked into the faint moonlight clearing. Cloud didn't answer, but that was reply enough for the dark-hared woman.

"Cloud. . . Do you really still leave the possibility of loving this man? The man that nearly ruined you life a million times over? The man that made it so you nearly didn't get into college? . . . The man that stole you away from me?" Tifa paused, taking a breath of the chilly autumn evening into her lungs. She looked into his molten baby blues with an intensity that Cloud had never seen before. "I've liked you ever since I can remember. Girlish crush turned first love turned something I couldn't ignore.

"Cloud-- I love you. More than anything I have ever known. I've stayed by your side from day to day, year to year, hoping, _praying_ that maybe one day you would tell me you return my feelings. No such day has come, so I stand here clinging to the fragment of a hopeless dream that maybe you could love me the way I love you. . ."

The silence was so loud Tifa could barely hear her own heart beat. The crashing of the rain didn't slow.

"Please. Say _something_," Tifa prayed aloud.

She was so close, and Cloud had no idea what to do. So, on a strange whim, dropped his bag and umbrella and swooped down to kiss her. Her body was cold, and she was shivering slightly through the cold of the rain. It didn't make sense to him that she would stay in her bikini to run all this way.

The kiss was... strange. It was loving, it was heart-felt, but it had no spark. At least not for Cloud. Tifa melted into his arms, but Cloud tensed. He pulled away after a short time and stared her right in the eyes. There was... nothing there for him. And Tifa saw that.

He all but heard Tifa's heart shatter. He stepped forward once more and pulled her into his arms. They were so muscular, so warm. . . so safe. Tifa leaned into the hug, but no amount of comfort would halt her burning tears. And so he held her for what felt like a lifetime, but, soon enough, Larxene's car pulled up and Cloud pulled away.

Cloud took one last look at Tifa and her eyes said "please, please don't go". He turned away, shoving his bag into the car. When he picked up the umbrella, he turned back to his friend. He took the few steps towards her and closed her fingers around it. He leaned down and placed a short kiss on her cheek before turning away once more.

He climbed into the car and was whisked back to civilization by an extremely pissed off and tired Larxene (not a happy experience) (2). It rained all the way home.

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Yuffie knew exactly where her friend had gone, but decided catching pneumonia (3) was a bad idea. She returned to her and Vincent's cabin to change into some clothes and find her umbrella. She thanked the gods that Vincent didn't follow her to the cabin and left under the protection of her umbrella in nice, warm jeans, a t-shirt and a too-big hoodie happily, despite the somberness of her business.

The ninja walked quickly to the plateau Leon had showed her one summer that his and Cloud's families used to camp on. She remembered the uneasiness that grasped Leon when they had touched on the subject of Cloud over the course of high school. Those were the good ol' days, she decided. No romantic tension, just ill-fated rivalry. She silently wished Leon hadn't decided to take Biology. If he hadn't, Cloud and Leon would be living on happily, the other all but completely forgotten. But such was not the case, so she did not dwell on it too long.

When Yuffie reached the plateau she found exactly what she had expected: an extremely glum Leon. She stepped up to the edge of the plateau and planted herself on the side of her friend. She held the umbrella above them both and scooted closer to make sure they were both protected from the oddly persistent rain.

"Why did you follow me?" Leon asked, his voice wavering. He stared off the cliff, his wet hair hiding his eyes and face from the woman next to him.

"What do you mean why?" She laughed lightly. The air of tension kept its hold on them. Her small smile faded as she said seriously, "I was worried about you." Leon snickered and laughed at her comment. Yuffie continued, "Talk to me, Squally. Keeping it inside will kill you slowly unless you face it." Leon road the wave of laughter through his lungs. It made Yuffie uneasy.

"Please, Squally..." Her voice trailed off into the deep-throated crashing of the rain around them.

Leon flicked his head up, his hair whipping excess water across the ground around them. His gray eyes shown dangerously through the dark mass of hair. Yuffie held her ground. "You really want to know?" Leon asked rhetorically. "You _really_ want to know?" Yuffie nodded dumbly. "I kissed him and then he ran away without saying a word. End of story." He turned back to looking out across the rain-soaked trees and clearings across the descending mountainside.

Yuffie remained silent as the contemplated how to respond. The tenseness of the air did not lessen when she spoke again, "Not end of story. I didn't see big 'The End' credits roll by. One kiss doesn't end it all."

"But he _ran away_," Leon snapped.

"He didn't say anything, though," Yuffie reminded him. She took his hand after switching the Umbrella into her left hand and squeezed as a sign of reassurance. "You didn't expect him to just fall head over heels in love with you after one kiss, did you?" Leon shook his head no. "It's not all that unlikely that Cloud just doesn't know what to think of what happened. After all, you did just out of the blue kiss him. You skipped from cold and heartless straight to loving. You probably scared him shitless." She smiled and paused. The tense silence around them had been replaced by one of companionable nature.

"Then what do I do now?" Leon managed to ask.

"You think I write the playbook of love?" She asked melodramatically. Leon looked at her skeptically and she laughed before continuing, "Alright, alright. Hows about you give him his space, but make sure he knows you want to talk? It's better if you give him time to think about how he feels about you. If you pressure him it'll only make things worse. Just mention to him tomorrow that you would like to talk, but don't press it. That sound good?"

Leon didn't respond, having returned to looking out, off the plateau. He unconsciously shivered. Yuffie smiled and handed him the umbrella, which he took. She then stripped off her hoodie and handed it to him. He silently thanked her for it and pulled it over his head after returning the girl's umbrella. It looked silly on him: a Traverse U. Girls' Volleyball hoodie that was too tight around his broad shoulders. Yuffie laughed.

Leon couldn't help but leak a small smile.

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The rain had not let up when Cloud woke up, snug in his bed, the morning after. It felt weird, knowing the circumstances of why he had returned. He considered staying in bed all day since he was technically excused from classes for the trip still, but he knew would find he was gone soon enough and he needed to keep up in his classes. He was not about to let Leon ruin college for him too.

Cloud attempted to keep a thick wall between his thoughts and the night before, and had been succeeding until he ran into Larxene in the kitchen, munching on some cereal or other. He attempted to move around her and avoid conversation as he reached the fridge, but his older sister had other plans.

"Cloud," she stated in between mouthfuls of cereal.

"Hm?" He responded, pouring himself a glass of milk and toasting a bagel.

"Talk," Larxene commanded, shoving a rather large spoonful of the nearly pure-sugar cereal she loved into her mouth.

"About what?" He asked coyly, turning away from the counter where the toaster resided to look at her. She shot him a knowing glare and he sighed. "Leon" --Larxene's eyes rolled instinctively at her younger brother-- "He, well, er... Kissed me." Now that was something Larxene did not expect, but she kept the surprise to herself and allowed him to continue. "I just... needed some space to clear my head. I mean, he _kissed me_. One minute he's burning me alive with his eyes, hating my guts, and the next he's holding onto my waist and kissing me. And his eyes--" He paused, looking at his sister intently to see if she wanted to know more. She nodded, still chewing intently at her cereal. "Well, he gave me this look. Not a normal look that looked right past me, but one of those looks that people give someone they love." Cloud paused, coming to a realization, "Do you think he likes me?"

Larxene snorted and sneered, "Well duh!" Cloud shot her a glare and she added, "He wouldn't 've kissed ya if he hated ya. That's just common sense."

"Well excuse me for having the brain-capacity of a wallflower after being kissed by my rival who I thought hated my guts since forever." Larxene laughed and Cloud blushed at his bad wording. "Plus, how do we know he didn't do it just to be mean and try and make me flunk out of college?"

Larxene gave him a skeptical look. "We don't," she gave her brother the answer she knew he wanted to hear, although she had a hunch (and you know a woman's intuition is never wrong) that Cloud's new idea was the complete opposite of the truth. (4)

"Right! And that's probably the truth," Cloud convinced himself, triumphantly munching on his toasted bagel with cream cheese.

Larxene smiled slyly at her brother and, just to burst his bubble, told him, "But y'know, he could actually like you. He could've gotten lost in your little thorn-bush of a head and had to surrender his heart to get out." They both laughed as Cloud finished his breakfast and shoved his books into his bag. He tossed a "later" back to his sister on his way out the door. But, upon realization halfway down his walkway that his only class that day was Biology which wouldn't be held for another week and a half, nonchalantly walked right back into his house.

Larxene laughed at him as he flipped off his shoes and tossed his bag onto the couch, he uttered a "Yeah, yeah, I'm dumb. Whatever" and moved for the stairs up to the second level of the house that contained his bedroom, but he was caught by his forearm. He turned to be staring straight into her brilliant green eyes.

"I don't think Leon would do what he did if he didn't have real feelings for you," she told him. Cloud held his breath. "Don't just dismiss it as nothing, because, for all you know, you could be holding his heart in the palm of your hands at this very moment. How would you feel if you loved someone" --her eyes became distant-- "and he just passed it off as nothing at all without a second thought?" She let go of his arm and her eyes refocused on his. "Think about it, Cloud."

Cloud, now just as confused as the night before, dashed straight up the stairs and took a sharp right, leaving his sister to finish her breakfast downstairs.

He found no reason to smile as his thoughts were not-so-slowly consumed by a certain brunette.

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**(1)** I've totally felt like rain has been laughing at me before. Especially when I leave my bike by the side of the house and wake up in the morning to go to school to find my bike seat completely soaked. And lemme tell ya, I have a very absorbent bike seat that doesn't mind getting the seat of my jeans drenched on my way to school. Ah, explaining such things first period is always fun fun fun. xD

**(2)** Dude I would **hate** to drive home with a sleepy and pissed off Larxene, wouldn't you? -shudders at the thought- I'm so mean to Cloud... Gomen, Cloud-y-pie! lol

**(3)** This has got to be _the_ hardest word to spell _ever_. Argh I hate it. But then again, maybe I'm just inept. It's always a possibility! xD -chants- pneumonia pneumonia pneumonia pneumonia

**(4)** So true, so true. Woman's intuition is never wrong. And don't you dare say otherwise! ...I'm joking, fyi. My woman's intuition is almost always wrong. lols

Wow, this is becoming so intense! I'm not sure if I want it to end within like two chapters, or if I want to complicate it more and have it continue longer. What do you guys think? I'm open to suggestions! :D

Did you know that I do my best writing extremely early in the morning? Like 4-6am? I'm a complete nightowl, so I get up around 4pm during the Summer and go to bed around 6:30am. I always get my best ideas when I'm tired and my mind goes all wacky with slap-happy exhaustion. Just a nice lil' fact for ya. Oh, and here's another one: if you get bitten by a spider that's poisonous (but not fatally poisonous) on the knuckle of your right ring finger and it swells up it makes it hard to hit the l, o, and . keys because your finger is too puffy to bend easily. It's true! lol

Well, if you liked the chapter please hit the magical review button. Reviews are the fuel that keeps me wanting to keep writing.

--Riri


	9. Distance

Since I feel like it, I'm gonna give you one fact about me on every chapter of any of my fanfiction I write from now on! So here's this chapter's: My household owns four ferrets, Koosh, Buffy, Festus, and Stringbean, but only one is mine. Can you guess which one?

**I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or 8 or any of their characters, nor do I own Kingdom Hearts I or II or any of their characters. They belong to Square Enix.**

_The first "scene" in this is all in text messages, in case you're confused. _

Autumn

Chapter 8: Distance

Thurs 5:20pm Cloud-- Are you alright? I'm sorry for my outburst yesterday. It was really bad timing on my part. Call me and let me know how you're doing, alright? Miss you. -Tifa

Fri 9:37pm **Cloudster-- Why'd you leave? We all miss you here. Get back to us and we'll see you soon, I guess. -Yuffie**

Mon 1:21pm Cloud... Please talk to us. We haven't heard from you in days and we're all really worried about you. We'll be home in a week, so if you don't text or call me by then I'll call the authorities. Please tell us what's up! -T

Mon 3:59pm Dude, I hate to say this, but I told you so. Leon is nothing but bad news. When we get home I'll take you out for some ramen to make it all better, alright? I'm sorry that all of this is goin' on. Please keep in touch. Oh, and Axel says hi. -Rox

Mon 11:23pm **Cloud? C'mon. You've gotta talk to me sometime or other. Roxas has gotten us all together and decided we're all going out for ramen the evening we get back. It's only in five days! ...I know what happened may be confusing, but please, just... talk to Leon before doing anything you may regret. This is more than just a game. -Yuffie**

Tues 6:03pm Please, Cloud. Talk to us! We really want to know how you're doing. Are you going to go to the ramen get-together that Roxas and Yuffie planned? I hope so. Yuffie wants to know if you'll go if Leon is invited. Talk to you soon. -T

Tues 8:29pm **Cloudster. Seriously. Talk to us! We all really miss you. Including Leon. Hope you're in the mood for ramen because you have to come with us on Sunday. You have no choice. Ttfn. -Yuffster**

Wed 9:47am Cloud. Text me. We need to talk about the ramen thing. I think Yuffie invited Leon. Or, better yet, call me ASAP! (Axel says hi again.) -Rox

Wed 2:32pm How's the home life? We're all having fun here, but we'd much rather if you were here with us too. Call me, 'kay? Love you... -Tifa

Thurs 12:35am _Yuffie-- I'm not going. -Cloud_

Thurs 12:37am **Cloudster! You're alive! Good. I can call off the search party. But you don't have any choice. You're going to the ramen thing no matter what. I'll tell Tifa I made contact with the Chocobo (that's your code name in Operation: Find The Chocobo). -Yuffie**

Thurs 12:40am **...Do you not want to go because Leon's going? -Yuffie**

Thurs 12:47am **Answer me, damn it! CLOUD! Urgh. Fine. Get your sleep. See if I care! -Yuffie**

Thurs 11:27am Yuffie told me you texted her last night. Is everything okay? We're all still worried about you. Call me, alright? See you Sunday.... I miss you. -Tifa

Thurs 12:07pm A little birdie tells me you made contact with the outside world, Cloud. So you're not going to the get-together? Good. I still don't want you to be around Leon. Ttyl. (P.S. Guess who says hi.) -Rox

Thurs 7:37pm **Changed your mind about going yet, Cloud? -Yuffie**

Thurs 8:17pm _Tifa? I've been thinking about what you told me that night... Do you really love me? -Cloud_

Thurs 8:26pm Of course I do. With all my heart. -T

Thurs 9:01pm _Have I lost my chance at returning that, Tifa? If not... Call me. -C_

Fri 7:25am _I'm guessing that you asked Tifa out last night because she was bouncing off the walls all night and didn't allow me one wink of sleep. Congratulations, Sweetie. She's going to make you the happiest man in the world. I'm happy to hear you're feeling better. See you in a few days. -Aeris_

Fri 11:10am **...Did you really ask Tifa out? I guess I'll find out soon enough. Have you thought about Leon at all? Ttfn. -Yuffie**

Fri 1:56pm Did you really get together with Tifa? Dude, that's great. Congrats! Now Leon has no reason to continue paying attention to you. Are you gonna go to the ramen thing now since you have nothing to fear about Leon? You should. It'd be kickass having you there. And, for once, Axel didn't say hi. But I'm saying hi for him. Hi! -Rox

Fri 8:43pm Missing you, Love. -Tifa

Fri 8:48pm _Missing you more. See you in two days. -Cloud_

Sat 11:50am _Roxas, yeah. I'm going to the ramen thing. Feel free to tell Yuffie, too. -Cloud_

Sat 5:22pm **Roxas tells me you're going to the ramen get-together, Cloudster. That's great! Even if it is because of Tifa... Please tell me you haven't just blown Leon's actions off as a joke. If you have I may have to go all ninja on your ass. By which I mean borrow my brother's baseball bat and inflict as much damage upon you as I can without going to jail. But seriously, you mean a lot to all of us including Leon, so don't do anything you may regret later. See you tomorrow. -Yuffie**

Sat 10:31pm _Yuffie-- Don't worry. I haven't forgotten. -C_

Sun 2:25pm We're boarding the bus now. Meet us at Cid's Ramen Shoppe at 3:30, alright? I can almost taste Traverse Town! Cya. -Rox

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When the bus dropped off the group in front of Traverse University, it was only a short walk to Cid's Ramen Shoppe. There was warm laugher, skipping, and all around joyousness to be back in civilization. Leon had to admit that the air of Traverse Town was nostalgic and he was glad to be home, but somehow he was dreading facing Cloud. Despite Yuffie's best attempts to force him to text the blonde or call him to tell him he wanted to talk, Leon had not contacted the blonde. And now, after hearing the worst news he could have possibly heard, that Cloud was now dating Tifa, Leon wanted nothing more than to crawl in a corner and die. The brunette was at the rear of the group, but with every one nearly jumping for joy, no one noticed.

Leon walked as slow as possible, so as to postpone the the imminent discomfort, but nevertheless the old-style ramen shoppe came into view. He sighed and pushed onward.

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As Cloud parked across the street in one of the Traverse U. student parking lots, he took a moment to plan out his actions should-- no. Scratch that. _When_ he saw Squall. He couldn't avoid the brunette forever. So it's good to be prepared, right? Since he could not come up with any better ideas he decided just acting as if nothing happened would be the best plan of action. Sighing he locked and left his car behind, heading across the busy street.

As he stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of Cid's Ramen Shoppe, he caught sight of the group of them walking towards him. A few waved and Roxas shouted out, "Cloud!" But the only one he paid attention to was the brunette standing in back that stopped when he caught sight of his blonde spikes. His gray eyes looked smokey and hard to read. After noticing he was staring, Cloud tore away and allowed his eyes to settle on Tifa who was calmly looking at him. He smiled and she returned it.

The greeting was hazy to Cloud's eyes. He got multiple high-fives and a hug from Aeris, but soon he found himself standing in the same place outside the shop facing Tifa. He thanked God that Squall had simply gone inside without a word, although Cloud could feel his icy stare as the door closed with a small breath of warmth. It was really starting to get cold, now late in November.

Cloud closed the distance between himself and Tifa, awkwardly snaking his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a hug. She smiled into his shoulder and returned it. She whispered, "I missed you."

Cloud, with a hint of hesitation, returned the sentiment. "I missed you too."

Pulling away, so much as she didn't want it to end, Tifa told her boyfriend, "C'mon. It's cold out, let's join the others inside." Cloud complied and held the door open for her, swiftly following her inside and taking a seat next to her at the collective table. Unfortunately, he ended up straight across from Leon's accusing gray eyes that threatened to carve a hole through his skull with their gaze.

Cloud averted his eyes and concentrated on telling Yuffie what he wanted since she had appointed herself the table's personal waitress so as "Uncle Cid" (as Yuffie had dubbed him) would not have to bother.

Across the table, Leon was trying his hardest not to jump across the table and strangle the girl hanging onto Cloud's arm. She giggled and leaned on him, and Leon didn't have to be able to see in order to know that they were holding hands timidly under the table. Both Cloud -- his Cloud-- and Tifa were in the very start of the honeymoon stage where a couple is inseparable, obsessive, and sometimes to the point of overbearing. Very overbearing. They won't hang out with friends, and if they do, they commonly ignore said friends to talk, text, or just stare into each other's eyes. Leon, having gone through the same stage with Rinoa for almost a week, could recognize signs of the honeymoon stage a mile away. It almost made him sick to see Cloud like this with someone other than himself, so Leon was forced to stomach the torture and angrily stab at his ramen with his chopsticks for the remainder of dinner.

Cloud, on the other hand, had a hard enough time keeping up an overjoyed façade and flirtatious glances at Tifa while his mind churned, and it didn't help that Squall was staring at him from across the table all night long. Cloud insisted that it was the right choice dating Tifa. She was beautiful, he took a moment to admire her long brown hair and she was always there for him ever since he could remember. But, most of all, she loved him. There was no way Cloud couldn't fall for her, right? Right, Cloud assured himself. But still, the feeling that something was wrong gripped at his insides.

As meaningless conversation droned on long after the food was gone, Cloud caught a gaze from Leon. For a few moments the two simply stared into each others' eyes, both searching for something different. Cloud searched for some foothold in those gray eyes, some way to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Leon searched for a similar foothold, but for him it was a search for some inkling that he meant something to the blonde man. Neither found what they were looking for and their eyes broke apart within the blink of an eye.

"Okay, speaking of riddles, I have a good one!" Yuffie added to the conversation that neither Leon nor Cloud had previously been listening to. "Okay, on Sunday evening Cloud was found dead."

"Wait what?" Cloud sputtered, looking at the ninja with wide eyes.

"This is fictional, just chillax. Anyways, so Sunday evening Cloud was found dead. There were three others around the house when it happened: Leon, Tifa, and Roxas. When being interrogated, each had an alibi. Leon said he was cleaning the pool, Tifa was out getting the mail, and Roxas was cutting the lawn. Who killed Cloud?"

The table remained quiet for a moment before Roxas spoke up, "Well it was obviously someone other than those three if they all have alibis."

"Wrong."

Cloud and Leon both pondered the possibilities, but when Leon was left thinking, Cloud had figured it out and murmured, "Tifa."

"What was that, Cloudster?" Yuffie chirped, animatedly cupping her hand around her ear and leaning forward so as to hear him better (even though that never works).

"Tifa. Tifa is the murderer," He repeated.

"Oh?" Yuffie leaned back and placed her hands over her mouth in mock surprise. "And why's that?"

"Yeah, why, Cloud?" Tifa echoed.

"Because it was a Sunday evening and Tifa said she was going to get the mail, but there isn't mail on Sundays."

"Good deal, Cloudster," Yuffie congratulated. "That's right!"

As Sora dove into his own riddle to follow up Yuffie's, Cloud met Yuffie's eyes halfway. She gave the blonde a knowing look, as if to say that the riddle was more than what it seemed, but it didn't connect in Cloud's head. Leon on the other hand, which had caught the look as a third party, knew exactly the meaning behind it. Yuffie was trying to say that staying with Tifa would only kill Cloud in the end, but the message fell upon ignorant ears. Cloud looked away as Tifa whispered a "good job" in his ear.

Only minutes later, Aeris broke the ice by saying, "Well guys, it was awesome hanging out, but my long-forgotten bed back in the dorms is calling my name. Plus, Cid has already warned us to leave twice and it's half an hour past closing."

"Yeah, yeah. Sora and I should be going too," Riku said smoothly, lightly teasing the boy's brown hair. This earned a bashful blush as they exited, Riku kindly carrying Sora's bags from the camp. Cloud lamely thought how he wasn't one hundred percent alright with Sora staying over at Riku's, but let it slide. Roxas stayed at Axel's more often than not, so Sora was no different.

Cloud's train of thought ended there as everyone else bid their farewells and exited. He was left with Tifa, Yuffie, and Squall. Cloud gave a meek smile and offered, "Do you guys want a ride home? It's pretty cold out." As much as he didn't want to be around Squall for that long, he knew it was the polite thing to do and so left the offer on the table.

"Oh, sure!" Tifa answered cheerily, latching onto Cloud's arm. "How nice of you to offer. Thank you." With that she leaned up and planted a small peck on the blonde's lips, earning a fervent blush from the blonde and a tightly clenched fist from Leon.

Yuffie noticed Leon's change of mood and added a little too quickly, "Well me and Squally here are gonna have to decline, as nice as the offer is. He promised to walk me home and I'm not about to let him off the hook."

"You sure? I'm sure it'd be no trouble, right Cloud?" Tifa insisted, still hanging onto Cloud's arm. Cloud silently nodded, although she could tell Yuffie wasn't accepting the ride because she wanted to tell Leon something, not because he had promised anything.

He gave them another nod before saying, "Well, don't freeze to death then. Thanks for inviting me out tonight, Yuffie. See you guys later." With that, he exited with Tifa, silently happy that he did not have to chauffeur Leon home.

Yuffie turned and called to Cid in the back, "Hey, thanks for letting us stay a little late, pops!"

He shouted back, "Anythin' for you, Yuffie! Come back now, alright?"

"Will do, Uncle Cid!" Yuffie smiled and tugged Leon out the door.

As they headed in the direction of Yuffie's house where Leon oh-so-conveniently would be staying the night, the pair was silent. All up until they reached the walkway up to the house where Yuffie broke the silence with a question, "Did you tell him you wanna talk?" She looked up at her friend who had stopped walking when she asked her question.

Leon just shook his head and avoided eye contact with his friend.

With this, Yuffie groaned in distress. "C'mon, it's not that hard to do. Just shoot him a text or something. There's only so much I can do to help you out, Squally."

"I know," he murmured.

"Ugh!" Yuffie screamed, throwing her head back in frustration. "Come on. I got you a chance to tell Cloud how you felt back at the lake and convinced him to attend this get-together tonight so maybe you'd tell him you want to talk. But you can't even do that... How long am I expected to keep this up?"

"I never asked you to do any of that stuff." Yuffie caught Leon's stone-cold gray eyes and nearly stumbled with the heat they contained.

Yuffie remained silent for a moment, calculating her response. "Look, if you don't want me to help you, that's fine. I just wanted you to be happy, Leon. Nothing more." Leon swallowed and waited for her to continue. "If Cloud really means as much to you as I think he does, you'll tell him -- to his face -- how you feel. Don't be coy, don't be sly, don't think that he'll just fall into your arms without you helping him. He's confused as hell about what he's feeling right now, I know that much. You need to tell him exactly what you feel and give him time to figure out his feelings. But if you don't get him started seriously thinking about you, he'll just forget about it and wave it off as a phase or a joke."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I'm just trying to help you. Do you want my help or not?" Yuffie's accusing eyes alone were enough to break Leon down to raw emotion.

He nodded. "Yes. I'm just really emotional right now and I'm still trying to fully accept what I am in light of the situation. I'm sorry for being angry."

"Now was that so hard?" Yuffie asked childishly, puckering her lips and using an adult-to-small-child voice.

"No."

Yuffie smiled. "Why so serious?" She hissed, mimicking the Joker from Batman. Leon broke into a small smile. "Now c'mon. Let's go inside and warm up. I'm freezing!" She animatedly rubbed her hands up and down on her upper arms and rushed inside. Leon slowly followed, pondering just how he should tell Cloud he wanted to talk.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Wowzerz! Another chapter! lol. I rather enjoyed writing the top section in text messages to/from Cloud. It was pretty different from my other tries at writing in texts/IMs, so that was cool.

I've planned out about 4 more chapters, but have yet to figure out a fixed ending. There will be about 5-6 more chapters before this is over, so watch out for those.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you did, please review! Those lil' suckers are what keep me inspired to write this fanfiction!

--Riri


	10. Curiosities

**I do not own Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8, or Kingdom Hearts or any of their characters. **

Sorry this update is _so_ belated.

Autumn

Chapter 9: Curiosities

"So ramen didn't work out. Come drinking with us tonight, Cloudster!" Yuffie insisted, cornering him.

"Yuffie, I told you I already have plans with Tifa," he retorted, firmly standing his ground.

"Why can't you just bring her with us?"

"Because then the entire point of a date would be null." This was really starting to irk Cloud. He knew that Yuffie was attempting to force Cloud to talk to Squall about whatever happened by the lake. It wasn't going to work.

"Oh, so it's a date now?" Yuffie grumbled, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. People who are dating typically go on them." The sarcasm all but dripped from his words.

"Come on, Cloud. Tifa has to share you. I won't take no for an answer!"

Damn this girl was persistent. "Fine! Fine. If I say yes, will you just go away already?"

"Awesome!" Yuffie cheered, giving cloud a flying hug before promptly hopping to the doorway. "I will see you at eight sharp, Cloudster!"

The door closed loudly and the following silence could have burst an eardrum. Cloud's heart was thundering against his chest not from his almost-argument with Yuffie, but... no. No, that wasn't an option. It wasn't because of having to talk to Squall about the... kiss. Cloud sighed, raking a hand through his hair. It didn't matter why he was nervous. And it didn't matter that Squall kissed him. It wouldn't change anything.

Talking to Squall was no big deal because there wasn't anything to talk about.

VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV

That night, his hands buried deep in the recesses of his pockets, Cloud walked along the lamp-lit street towards the bar they regulared. It had taken him three different jackets, five pairs of jeans, and a heaping mound of shirts to find just what he wanted to wear that night, and he still felt he could have chosen something better.

As he reached the window of the bar, he used the slightly reflective surface to fuss with his messy blonde spikes and the hem of his two-breasted black jacket. Smoothing out his dark blue jeans, he entered the bar and joined his group of friends at the table they occupied. Squall had yet to arrive, which allowed for Cloud to release his held breath.

"Cloudster!" Yuffie squealed, giving him a short, tight hug.

"Cloud," Tifa uttered with a secretive smile across her lips. She leaned in and pecked Cloud on the lips.

Cloud examined the kiss. Where was the knee wobble? The tingle? The urge to just hold on and not stop? Woah, where did that come from?

Cloud shook those thoughts from his mind and took a seat next to Tifa.

The conversation and drinks ebbed and flowed freely, the atmosphere free of pressure for all but the blonde. Tifa held his hand under the table, their fingers loosely intertwined. His mind scrambled for a reason to get up. Get away from the heat of the bar and the girl next to him.

"I'll be right back. Bathroom," he said, getting up and entering the bathroom.

Looking in the mirror, he fluffed his hair a little and then stopped when a few other men began to stare. Washing his hands, Cloud doused his face with cold water and leaned on the sink, staring at his damp face in the mirror.

What was Cloud doing? Avoiding the girl he was supposed to be dating? That wasn't like him. Then again, dating had never really been his thing in the first place. So why was he dating Tifa? Because she liked him? Sure. But... maybe he was avoiding something else.

Cloud groaned, drying off his hands and face and exiting the bathroom. A few feet out the door, he caught sight of his table, a certain brunet occupying the seat to the left of his own. Mentally sighing, the Cloud returned to his seat with a small nod of hello to the man to his left.

"So anyway, I hear that Sephiroth has been hooking up with some mystery man according to Xemnas," Yuffie gushed, cheeks tinted pink from alcohol.

Cloud went blissfully unaware of the discussed scandal, all he could feel was the heat and flaring emotions of the two next to him. Squall's clenched fists and rigid stature and Tifa's relaxed shoulders and soft hands.

"You know that Xemnas loves feeding you false gossip in the hopes that you will embarrass yourself, right, Yuffie?" Vincent suggested.

"Naw! Xemnas would never do such a thing to me!" Yuffie exclaimed, her words beginning to blur together.

Cloud shifted in his seat, placing his elbows on the table and resting his head on his hands. He couldn't take more of that goddamn hand-holding.

In his shift, his leg brushed Leon's, and when Squall didn't move away, Cloud had to fidget to again be free of human contact. Shooting a glance at the man, Cloud found stone-gray eyes looking back at him. The look shocked Cloud's heart into thundering motion against his ribs. He averted his eyes.

What the hell was that?

"The speech is last to go," Aeris giggled. "Maybe you wanna get her going home, Vincent."

"Hell no, I love it when she gets like this!" Roxas laughed, his own words on the edge of coherency.

"I think that's actually a very good idea," Vincent agreed, taking a last sip of his martini and shoving on his coat.

As the others wished Vincent and Yuffie good night, Cloud felt Tifa's hand on his thigh with a comforting squeeze just as Leon's hand brushed his other side. Cloud turned to Squall first. Those gray eyes, again, looked back into his own.

"We need to talk," Leon whispered for Cloud's ears alone.

Cloud, his heart drumming faster than ever before, turned to Tifa whose eyes contained nothing but love and concern. To him, Tifa was comfort and Tifa was safety.

It was hard to breathe, the air palpable with tension.

As Vincent ushered a complaining Yuffie out of the bar with a practiced precision, Cloud choked on his own breath, earning looks from his friends. "I need some air," he stated, shoving back his chair and, in moments, emerging into the shadowed chill outside the bar. The moon shown as a mere sliver in the star-sprinkled sky. Cloud struggled to catch his breath.

"You can't run from me." The voice was smooth like the surface of a frozen lake.

Cloud tensed at the words, swallowing back the hacking coughs. Don't turn around, he told himself. Whatever you do, don't look at him...

His eyes are like heavens, Leon thought as Cloud turned around and looked straight into his own. Why did he never see that all these years?

"I'm not running," Cloud stated noncommittally, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and averting his eyes. "And we don't have anything to talk about any how."

"I like you," Leon stated, taking a step forward. "That's why I kissed you and that's why we need to talk."

Cloud suddenly became aware of how close the two were. Close. He was so close. When did he get that close?

Leon's gray eyes were as undecipherable as Latin manuscripts to Cloud as the two held their breath. What was this urge rising in Cloud's stomach? It wasn't anything, he told himself. Squall was trying to brainwash him- to ruin his life all over again. And he wasn't about to let that happen.

"You don't like me," Cloud returned with equal frankness. "You've hated me as long as I've hated you: sixteen years."

"God damn it, Cloud. Now who's being the ice prince?" Leon all but growled.

"I'm not the one lying to try and ruin my life _again_." Cloud's anger was boiling up beside Leon's.

"That is not nor was ever my intent," Leon snarled. "But I'm reminded every day of your maliciousness towards me. This scar will always remind me how much you hated me." Leon pointed to his face and the ugly scar there.

Cloud was taken aback by the emotion radiating from Squall. He never acted brashly, he never got this angry. Not since elementary school.

"I've forgiven you for all the things you've done to try and ruin my life and for all the times you succeeded at that," Leon snapped. "We're too old to blame those kids we used to be for our actions now. We aren't them and I have no reason to hate the person you've become."

Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.

"Funny how when you're bombarded by logic, you just shut down. Maybe you aren't the person I thought you were." Leon backed up a few steps and left Cloud out in the cold with his words ringing inside his mind.

Suddenly short on breath, Cloud slumped to the ground, the world spinning around him. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the stress. Whatever the reason, Cloud only knew he couldn't stand being here anymore.

His feet wouldn't carry him fast enough away from Squall.

VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV

Tues 11:12am **Cloud, just how drunk was I las' night? I don't remember much. -Yuffie**

Tues 12:56pm Where did you go last night, Cloud? I missed you and you didn't text or call. Get back to me soon. -T

Tues 2:31pm Cloud, did you talk with Leon last night and that's why you left without a word? Tell me what's up. -Rox

Tues 6:01pm **Cloud. Seriously. How bad did I embarrass myself? -Yuffster**

Tues 6:22pm If you don't talk to me by tomorrow I'm stalking you at home. P.S. Tell Larx that I want my shirt back. -Rox

Tues 6:40pm **Squally, Cloudster won't tell me how drunk I was last night and I can't find Vinnie. Please tell me I wasn't THAT bad. -Yuffie**

Tues 10:21pm _Squall? I want to talk about last night. -Cloud_

Wed 7:20am Seriously, Cloud. I'm dropping by if you don't text me back. -Rox

Wed 11:54am I'm worried about you, Cloud. Call me. -T

Wed 4:07pm _**Cloud- When and where? I'll be there. -Leon**_

Wed 4:09pm _I'll come to you. -Cloud_

Wed 8:10pm **CLOUD! Text me back. And please tell me I wasn't dancing on tables... -Yuffie**

VvVvVvVvVvVvVvVvV

The rapping knock came promptly at 4:30pm on Leon's apartment door. In moments, despite the hurt smoldering about his fight with Cloud, Leon had opened the door to find that same man standing, hands again shoved in his jacket pockets.

Leon gestured for Cloud to come in mutely. The blonde accepted the offer, walking into the cramped apartment, stripping his coat off and draping it over the arm of the couch before sitting there.

Leon watched Cloud's shaky movements with a sharp eye. Why had he come here? They could have just as easily met in a neutral location. The man never ceased to pique Leon's interest.

"Tea?" Leon offered, getting himself a glass of hot water and mixing in a teabag.

Cloud didn't respond until Leon had sat down on a counter stool across from him.

"Do you really like me?" he asked, fussing with the hem of his shirt. What had he been thinking coming to Squall's apartment? This was all a big mistake, but it had already been made. His curiosity was killing him.

"Yes," Leon answered bluntly, lightly blowing on his tea and taking a tentative sip.

An awkward silence ensued.

Alright, so Squall likes him. What did that mean? It shouldn't mean anything. It didn't mean anything. It. Didn't. Mean. A. Single. Thing.

Curiosity satiated, Cloud rose, grabbing his coat and announcing, "Thanks, I'll be going now."

Resting his tea on the counter, Leon asked, "Why did you really come here, Cloud?"

The words rung inside the blonde's mind as he paused in his tracks, the doorknob in hand. He had asked himself the same thing not minutes before. And he didn't really know. Maybe asking him in person there would be less room for lies and deception? True, but that wasn't the reason. It was curiosity. Curiosity about the kiss and why it felt so much better than when he kissed Tifa. Why it made his knees sway and why it had happened in the first place. Why he had _let_ it happen. Curious as to why Squall's answers to all of those mattered to him.

"I was curious why your answer mattered to me," Cloud admitted, not turning to face his companion.

Leon smirked inwardly, rising from his seat too. He walked slowly and silently towards his rival and waited for him to turn around. He had to peek of his own free will into the Pandora's Box.

"Maybe my answer matters because you return my feelings," Leon suggested behind a grin.

Tensing as he heard Squall move, Cloud worked his hardest not to look, but he was willing to give up one of his nine lives for a look back at Squall. For some glimpse into the man's reaction besides those echoing words. Turning his Mako blue eyes back on his companion, the look in Leon's was stunning to the blonde. Playfulness churned together with lust stared back at him from not a foot away. Cloud swallowed hard, not moving an inch.

The air was tactile around the two as Leon slipped a hand up to Cloud's face, fingering the soft skin there. The taller man leaned in close, his other arm bracing itself on the door beside his rival's spiky blonde hair. He could feel Cloud's hot breath on his face and his blue eyes wide with shock.

_Move, Cloud! Move Goddamn it! _was all the blonde could think, but his body had other plans. His body leaned into the touch and Squall's hot breath tickled his skin, sending shivers down his spine. _You don't like him. You don't like him. _

After a few tense moments, Leon sealed the deal, kissing the shorter man. It was warm and kind of sloppy, but perfect. Cloud didn't move away, either. He grabbed onto Leon's arms for support as he leaned back against the door, his coat dropping to the floor with a wordless thump. Leon pushed closer, flushing his and Cloud's bodies together as the kiss deepened.

Why was kissing Tifa not like this? Better question: Why was kissing _Squall_ like this? Cloud was bewildered by the heat of the kiss, not wanting to let go. It felt so good, how could he? That's when logic kicked in. He was kissing the man who had nearly succeeded in ruining his life. Kissing. And not just a peck, full on lip-locking. This was not okay. But... how could something this good not be...

Cloud dared not finish that sentence before pulling out of the tango of lips. Breathing hard, he pushed Leon away and scrambled out the door. When Cloud emerged into the late October chill, he noticed he'd left his coat. God damn it. Oh well. The walk home would be a refreshingly cold one.

Back in his apartment, Leon knew he had Cloud. Maybe not one hundred percent yet, but he would. Hook, line, and sinker.


End file.
